


b-sides

by gemstonedragons



Series: get back up if you go down [2]
Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Trans Male Character, but its relevant to the character, idk if its ever gonna come up, ortega practices good communication, sidestep is trans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:01:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23888617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemstonedragons/pseuds/gemstonedragons
Summary: There's a photo of Jules on the Ortega family ofrenda.
Relationships: Ortega/Sidestep (Fallen Hero)
Series: get back up if you go down [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721770
Comments: 9
Kudos: 47





	b-sides

**Author's Note:**

> this is my favorite headcanon

There's a photo of Jules on the Ortega family ofrenda. An actual picture of him- not the one of him in his skinsuit, mask over his face, not that one, the one they used at the funeral. No, the one on the ofrenda is a blurry cell phone camera candid, that Ricardo snuck while Mama was distracting him. It shows his face, his dark eyes, the shy little smile he always wore when Mama scolded him for not eating. 

Jules' picture gets propped up behind the mug he'd given him, filled full of those awful instant coffee packets that he used to find wherever Jules went. It’s not día de los muertos yet, because Elena Ortega always gets started early, even if she has to replace all the flowers by the time it comes. And Ricardo- helps. He opens up the boxes of decorations, hanging colorful tissue paper and setting out candles and picture frames. The flowers always come next. And then the food, the offerings.

.

This is what he remembers, when he thinks of Jules- burnt toast, black coffee, butterscotch candies, orange slices, old musicals, the yellow mug with Van Gogh's sunflowers, and- and- and-- _the screaming starts behind him, and he won't find out til later that Anathema is dead, and Sidestep runs ahead- and when he catches up, the Sidestep mask is off, is lying on the ground, and Ortega doesn't see his face before the window breaks, only the back of his head. And then Sidestep- Jules is gone._

This is what they always lay out for him. Instant coffee, butterscotch candies, and orange slices. But Ric's standing there, bent over the photo box, with the picture frame and the mug, and he's- 

He's not sure why he's waited this long to tell Mama, and somehow it's worse, because he knows she's watching him stand there with Jules' picture and the mug, all quiet and serious. Ricardo knows what it looks like. Mama's probably thinking that he's gonna break, that this year he'll backslide, that Jules' still too touchy a subject to bring up. It looks so much worse than it is. 

" _¿Mijo?_ " She starts, turning back toward him, hands full of marigolds, the smile falling off her face.

 _"Lo siento, Mamá,_ I didn’t- couldn’t- I never told you- _"_

"Tell me what, Ricardo?"

"He's not dead." He whispers, mouth dry.

Elena freezes. She drops the flowers. “ _¿Qué?_ ”

“Jules isn't dead. I found him again-- he’s _alive_ , Mama.”

Elena slaps her hands over her mouth, eyes wide, watery. “ _¿De verdad?, ¿En serio?_ ” she asks, her voice muffled.

“I wouldn’t joke about this.”

Mama cries.

(So does Ricardo.)

(Jules' picture doesn’t get put up on the ofrenda.)

.

Later, at the table, when he calls Jules, Mama is sitting across from him, coffee in hand, and they’re both staring at the yellow mug and the photo sitting in the empty place setting.

 _“Ricardo.”_ greets the voice through the speakers, gruff, cranky, like he’s just been woken up.

“Hey,” Ricardo starts, his voice still thick with tears- and then Jules speaks over him.

“ _What’s wrong? You never call when you’re at your mom’s.”_ his voice is clearer, _worried_ , and there’s the sound of rustling, like Jules is getting dressed, ready to do something, anything. Mama’s gone bug-eyed across the table, jaw set so that she doesn’t start grinding her teeth. 

“Nothing’s happened- Jules, I told her. _Mama knows_.” he says, and Jules is silent, not even the jingle of his keys as he moves.

“Let me hear him, mijo.” Mama says, reaching out. Her straight line of an expression wobbles, eyes shining wetly. He hands the phone over, palms suddenly clammy. Mama opens her mouth- but before she can speak--

“ _Hello, tia Elena.”_ and Jules sounds more muffled now, with the phone clutched in Mama’s hand and not against Ric’s ear. But hearing Jules speak, Mama gasps, a sharp little noise that makes his chest hurt.

“Hello, sweetheart.” she says, sounding so, so soft, so sad.


End file.
